Improved spieit metee and sepabatoe



I. P. TICE.

v Spirit Meter. Nd. 63,335.: V Patented March 26, 1867.

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ISAAC P. TIGE, OF NEW YGRK, N. Y.

Letters Patent No. dated time 26, 1867.

IMPROll-JD SPIRIT METER AND SEPAB-ATOB.

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.TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, ISAAC P. TIOE, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Spirit Meter and Separator and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention partly in section.

Figure 2, an end elevation of the same.

Figure 3, a side sectional view of the same, taken in the line :2; x, fig. 2; and

Figure 4, ahorizontal section of the same, taken in the line 3 y, fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of this invention is to obtain a simple and eifieient device by which the amount of whiskey produced in a distillery may be ascertained by Government oflicials with positive accuracy. It is well known that a large amount of whiskey is distilled in the United States for which the Government receives no returns in the wayof revenue tax, 'and this invention willefl'ectually prevent that fraud being practised.

The successful operation of a device for this purpose must possess three essential requisites:

1. A positive or sealed connection of the worm with the meter.

2. Anaccurate measuring or weighing mechanism, with an indicator or register connected therewith, access ible only to the Government inspector or ofiicial.

3. A separator by which the high spirits, or that above a certain grade, which does not require to be run through the still a second time, may be separated from the low grade, which requires a second distillation.

A represents an upright cylinder, having a vertical tube, B, at its side, and extending its whole-height, the lower end of the tube communicating with the lower end of the cylinder, as shown at a in fig. 3. The tube B is connected with the lower end of the worm of the still by a sealed joint, so arranged or devised that the worm cannot be disconnected from the tube B without being detected by the inspector or ofiicia-ls. C is a nozzle or spout, which projects from the upper part of the cylinder A over a fixed basin, D, secured in the upper part of a framing, E; and F is an upright bar, placed in the cylinder A, having its lower end fitted in a step, b, on the bottom of'the cylinder, or connected to said bottom by a hinge or joint, to admit of a lateral vibrating movement of the bar F. This bar extends up above the cylinder A, and has arms or lateral plates, 0 c, projecting from it, one above the other, between the ends of which spools, (Z d, are fitted, having a strip of paper, G, around them, said paper passing around the rear side of the upper part of bar F, (see more particularly fig. 4.) His 22. bar, which is fitted in the cylinder A similar to F, and also extends upward some distance above A. To the upper part of bar H the lower end of a lever, I, is connected by a pivot, e, said lever being secured on a shaft, J, the bearings, j, of which are attached to the upper end of the cylinder A. The upper end of the lever I is bent or curved over towards the bar F, and has a plate, g, attached, which is over the top of bar H, a thin horizontal plate, 71, being between the lower edge of plate 5 and the top of bar H, (see more particularly fig. 3.)

J is a hydrometer, which is fitted in the cylinder A, and is immersed in the whiskey therein. The neck of.

the hydrometer extends upward above the cylinder A, and between the bars F H, or between F and the plate 9 of lover I, according to the grade of whiskey in A. The top of the hydroineter has a serrated wheel, K, attached to it, and the bulb and lower part of the hydrometer are fitted in a tube, L, which is attached to bar 'F, as shown in fig. 3.- \T represents a. meter, which is composed of a quadrilateral box, hung on journals or pivots, t, which rest on horizontal bars, 7', of the framing E, and in oblong boxes, k, which have India-rubber or other suitable springs, Z, at their ends, (see fig. 1.) These oblong boxes admit of the journals or pivots 2' rolling in the boxes is to a certain extent, and the springs Zobviate jars or concussions as the journals or pivots come in contact with either end of the boxes. The object of this is to render the meter sensitive, so that it will turn or tilt readily. The meter M is divided into two compartments, an m, by a diagonal partition ordiaphragm, 1t, and each compartment has a discharge spout, 0, which is at the side of the meter, and at the furthest point from the journals or pivots 27, as will be fully understoodby referring to fig. 3. The supply openings p, through which the whiskey passes into the compartments m in, are in planes radial with the axi of the meter, and parallel with the sides of thelatt'er; and in each compartment m m there is a float, N, having two rods,g'g,

a achcdfwhich pass out through the meter, and have plates, 1 on their outer ends to hear at a certain time against a V-shaped valve, 0, fitted in the discharge aperture s in the bottom of the basin D, see fig. P is a trough or whiskey receiver, immediately below the meter and Q, is a whiskey receiver below P; the former having a partition, t, within it, which extends upwards to about half its height, and divides the receiver Q into two compartments, a 6 R is a chute, suspended on a rod or pivots, it, in the upper-part of the receiver Q, and underneath an opening, 2;, in the bottom of receiver P. This chute R has an arm, 10, attached to it at one end, and this arm is connected by a rod, a, with an arm, I), on one end of the shaft J. S is a lever-frame, which works on pivots, c, in the upper part of the framing E. The lower ends of the sides of this lever-frame are forked or divaricated,'as shown at d in fig. 1, and within these forked ends pins, c, which project from the ends of the meter M, work. To the top of the lever-frame S a rod,f, is attached, which passes loosely through an arm or lateral projection, g, at the outer end of arm 6, and is made to act, as the arm I) rises and falls, against pawls, h, which give motion to clock movements, T T, provided with dials and hands or indexes, t", as shown in fig. 1. Similar clocks, V, may be placed on the basin D, and actuated by a rod, j, from the top of the lever-frame S. The top of this lever-frame is also connected by a rod, is, with the bar F.

All of the parts above described are enclosed within a box or safe, so that the device cannot be tampered with by the distiller, the Government inspector or oi'ficial having the key, by which he can open a door and refer to the clocks from time to time, and ascertain the amount of whiskey that has passed through the meter. On the lower end of one of the spools ii there is a ratchet, Z, which engages with a rod or fixed pawl, m, on the top of the cylinder A.

The operation is as follows: The whiskey passes from the worm into the tube B, and through the opening a into the lower end of cylinder A, and rises in said cylinder to the nozzle C, through which it is discharged into the'basin D. The whiskey passes through the opening 8 in the bottom of the basin D into the meter, the valve 0 being open or-down. In fig. '3 the compartment m of the meter is represented as being filled, and as the whiskey rises in the compartment m the float N of course rises, and consequently the valve 0, the latter gradually diminishing the capacity of the opening s, so that when the compartment m is nearly filled, and the whiskey about up to the bottom of the discharge spout 0, the last portion of the whiskey will pass very slowly into 171. When the compartment m is filled the meter turns, under the gravity of the whiskey in m, a quarter of a revolution in the direction indicated by arrow 1, and the whiskey is discharged into the receiver P, and the other compartment m, which is discharged while m is filling, is moved or turned up so as to be refilled from basin D, the meter when m is filled turning a quarter of a revolution in the direction indicated by arrow 2. This arrangement of the discharge opening 0 and diagonal partition 02, together with valve 0, operated by the floats N, renders the meter not only sensitive, but also accurate as a measuring or-weighing device. The turning of the meter first in one direction and then in the other causes the pins 0 to act against the forked ends 02 of the lever-frame S, and moves the latter, whichactuats the bar F, so that the paper band Gr, when the meter turns in the direction indicated by arrow 2, will be pressed against the serrated wheel K on the top of the hydrometez', and said band punctured by the wheel, so that the strength of the whiskey or the height of the hydrometer will be indicated on the band G at every alternate movement of the meter, the band G being moved asthe bar F is moved outward from wheel "K by the turning of the'meter in the direction indicated by arrow 1. The band G, therefore, will show the grade of the whiskey at every alternate movement of the meter. Each time the bar F is moved toward the wheel K on the hydrometer, and the paper band G punctured, the wheel K, when below the plate h, which is between the top of. the bar H and the lower end of the plate 9, will be pressed against the bar H, and the latter moved so as 'to actuate the lover I, which will cause the arm to be moved downward, and the rod a to move the chute. B, so that the whiskey will be discharged into the compartment-a of the receiver Q. When the hydrometeris at such a height that the wheel K will be-pressed against the plate 9 of lever I the arm-b will be moved upward, and the chute R turned so as to discharge the whiskey into the compartment 1%. Each time the arm 6' is moved upward the pawl h of the upper clock movement T is actuated, and each time his moved downwar the pawl 7t of the lower clock movement T is actuated; hence it will be seen that the amount of whiskey discharged into each compartment a and b will beindicated' by thejndexes i on their respective dials. All the whiskey that is discharged into the compartment a does not require to be passed through the still a second time, and is above 20 of hydromcter. Where the whiskey .is lower than that, the wheel K will be above the plate 71., and will, when the bar F is pressed fagainst it, be made to bear against the platcg of the lever I. The whiskey that is discharged into b -is distilled over again, and the amount discharged into?) is indicated by the upper clock movement T, while the amount discharged into the compartment a is indicated by the lower clock T. The clock movement U is designed to serve as-a check for the clocks T T.

Revenue is paid on whiskey at a grade of 50, which is termed proof. Its strength is very variable as it comes from the still, sometimes being as'high as 80, and then as low as 10. -All above 20 willfas a gen eral rule, average 50, or proof; hence, all below 20 requires to be redistilled, audit will be seen that a separating mechanism is an essential requisite, as it gives the inspector or Government ofiicial-the exact amount of each grade that has passed through the still, and the distiller will be held accountablefor all grades that require to be redistilled'.

vHaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by'Letters Patent, is-* 1. A revolving or tilting meter hung or suspended on journals or pivots i, and divided into two coin partments an m by a diagonal partition or diaphragm, n, with discharge openings 0, all arranged substantially as herein shown and described.

2 The float-s N, placed within the compartments m m of the. meter, and arranged to operate a valve 0 to regulate the supply or flow of whiskey to the meter, substantially as set forth.

3. The placing of the journals or pivots i of the meter Within oblong boxes is, having springs l at their ends, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. Separating the high from the low-grade whiskey or spirits by means of a hydrometer, arranged with suitable mechanism in such a manner that the turning or tilting of the meter, or other motor, will transmit power through the intervention of a wheel, stud, or other device carried by the hydrometer, to suitable mechanism, which will efi'ect a diversion of the flow or discharge of the whiskey or spirits into difierent receivers, according to its grade or strength. i

5. The employment or use of indicators or clock movements in connection with the separating mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The hand G, of paper or other material, in connection with a hydrometer and separatingmechanism, substantially as and for'the purpose set forth.

7. In spirit meters, charging the paper which receives the record with preservative composition, substantially as described.

ISAAC P. TICE.

Witnesses:

WM. F. McNAMARA, A. R. HAIGHT. 

